For Safeway teammates, giving back to the causes close to home has always been second nature. In fact, it’s been more than a decade that teammates have proudly participated in the Safeway payroll donation program.

A few dollars from each paycheque truly go a long way in supporting the organizations that make a tangible difference in the lives of Alberta families. This is especially true for the children who receive care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

In 2020, our Alberta teammates donated more than $178,000 to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation through the payroll donation program. This gift will have a direct impact on three hospital programs:

Mental health care – Facing Your Fears program

The Facing Your Fears program helps high-functioning autistic children identify their worries and tackle them head-on. Guided by a team of experts that includes psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists, the 14-week program empowers kids and their parents with a suite of new coping skills and strategies through classes, workbooks and training sessions.

Mental health research

When a child suffers from anxiety or depression, the right medication can be transformative. Using the DNA in children’s saliva, experts will be able to better tailor medications to a child based on genetic markers. The data will provide scientists with invaluable information that will enable future discoveries and better treatment.

Rotary Flames House

The Rotary Flames House, located next door to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, is one of only six pediatric hospices in Canada and the only one in Alberta. Expert care is provided by a team of trained health care professionals committed to ensuring that each child and their family’s physical, developmental, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs are met in a sensitive and compassionate manner. Through donations like that from our Safeway teammates, the Rotary Flames House is able to provide a wide range of services for this special group of patients and their families.

In addition, more than $48,000 was donated through the payroll donation program to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation to help expand round-the-clock mental health support to children, youth and families. Stollery will be able to create integrated mental health services within the emergency department, boost 24/7 helpline support, and create a separate walk-in clinic to provide timely access to an expert team of nurses, social workers, therapists, and child and adolescent psychiatrists.

But you didn’t just stop there. By working together, our Alberta Safeway teammates collectively donated close to $77,000 to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to support a strong future for HeartSmart Kids — a program designed in collaboration with Indigenous communities. HeartSmart Kids is a unique classroom and family resource that takes a wholistic approach to improving health using a comprehensive set of tools, tactics and resources. This no-charge education program is offered to Indigenous children from kindergarten to grade six and includes grade-appropriate resources to make an impact on students and families with the tools they need for long, healthy lives.

Thank you, Alberta Safeway teammates, for your passion to serve your communities and help those most vulnerable when they need it most. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed! By working together, we can truly make a difference for families across our province.